James Allen Coddington was born on March 22, 1972, in Oklahoma. He came from a large family with eight siblings. When Coddington was very young, his mother went to prison. She was away for almost the first eight years of his life. During this time, his father, who struggled with alcoholism, took care of him and his siblings.

Coddington's father reportedly abused him and often spent money on alcohol instead of food. This situation forced the family to live off scraps. At the age of seven, Coddington's father abandoned the family. After that, Coddington was placed in foster care. He began to have problems and became addicted to drugs at a young age.

Before the significant events of his life that would later define him, Coddington had multiple run-ins with the law. Between 1990 and 1991, he was convicted of burglary and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. 

On March 6, 1997, James Allen Coddington murdered Albert Troy Hale, who was 73 years old at the time. The incident happened in Hale's home in Oklahoma City. That day, Coddington had asked Hale to lend him money to buy cocaine. Hale refused and advised Coddington against using drugs. Upset by Hale's refusal, Coddington attacked him with a claw hammer, delivering three to four blows to Hale’s head.

After killing Hale, Coddington stole $520 from Hale’s home and left the scene. Hale's body was discovered later by one of his sons. Following the murder, Coddington went on to rob at least six gas stations and convenience stores before being arrested on March 7, 1997, just one day after the killing.

Coddington's trial began on April 24, 2003. Before the trial for Hale's murder, he had already been convicted of multiple robbery charges and was serving six life sentences. On April 29, 2003, he was found guilty of first-degree murder. The jury recommended the death penalty, which was formally imposed on May 2, 2003.

Over the years, Coddington's death sentence was challenged in court. His appeal was granted in 2006, but a re-sentencing trial in 2008 once again resulted in a death penalty recommendation from a new jury. Coddington was re-sentenced to death on July 2, 2008.

In the following years, Coddington pursued several appeals, but all were rejected. In June 2021, he lost his final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which led to his eligibility for execution.

Coddington was scheduled to be executed on March 10, 2022. However, due to legal challenges, the execution was postponed. On August 25, 2022, he was put to death by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Before his execution, Coddington made a final statement expressing gratitude and forgiveness.